Birthday LOVE

Rich and the boys always make my birthday special.  For breakfast Rich made me a delicious omelet and the boys wanted me to open my gifts.

That night Rich made dinner and brought home some pie (strawberry rhubarb and chocolate banana cream).  He also surprised me with tickets to LOVE that weekend.

This is a show we've been talking about going to see for a long time--and we finally did it!

It was a great show and fun to go out!  We didn't know how long it would take us to park and get down there so we ended up going out for Cafe Rio afterward.  It was a great night and the perfect way to start off 35!

Never Forget

The cemetery near our home did a beautiful display this year in honor of 9-11.  I loved passing it as I drove around town during the week and I really wanted to take the boys to walk around.  It happened that the day we could go was on September 11th. 

Every flag represented someone who died that day and had a bio of that person attached.

The boys were so reverent and respectful and it was good for them to learn a little bit more about such a momentous and sad day in our history.

Back to School

I'm finally getting around to posting about the first day of school!

William and I were able to go get his schedule and walk to all of his classes a few days before school started.  It's crazy to think that he's in middle school.  He really seems to be loving it.  He rides to school on his bike with at least 5 other kids from the neighborhood which is really nice.  He seems to like most of his teachers and is enjoying learning to play the trumpet.

All the boys are in school all day this year--6th, 4th, 2nd, and Kindergarten. James has a great teacher this year, Mr. Hanley, who has created a positive learning environment for his class.  I think James likes being the big brother on campus too.  He has loved roller blading to school (and I think especially loves that every tells him how good he is at it!)  Alex has always loved school and this year is no different.  He is still a little reading machine.  Henry is loving Kindergarten.  The first few days he told me that it was boring but now he tells me daily that, "Kindergarten in shorter than pre-school!"  (Which is not true at all... but shows me that he's having so much fun that the day is flying by!)

And that leaves just the girls at home.  We've settled into a nice little routine.  In the morning we play at the park after the boys head to school--until I get tired of chasing her from danger.  Then we run errands (or watch a show together if we have nothing pressing that morning).  By 11:00 Lydia is ready for a nap and usually sleeps until it is time to pick up the boys from school.  I try to be productive as I can while she is sleeping but I sometimes sneak in a quick power nap of my own.

Lydia in Action

Lydia is such a sweet, funny girl.  The last several months I have taken so many videos of her.  I thought I would document all of them here.

Lydia blows kisses:

One day she kept going up to the wall at the end of the downstairs hallway and kissing it.  I really have no idea why!

Most of the time Lydia is really quiet... but every once in a while she just jabbers on and on!  It's really cute!

The boys love when they can get her to dance.  She loves to move her body around when she hears music... she can't resist!

Every day when I pull my bike up at the park to wait for the boys Lydia points to the school and informs me that the "guys are at school".

William has been teaching Lydia all sorts of animal sounds this summer.  But when I heard him ask her, "Lydia, what does a fox say?" I just had to laugh at her response!

All summer long Henry walked around the house with his arms outstretched like a zombie and murmured, "brains!"  Lydia is a great copy-cat and loves to tell us what a zombie says.

Lydia certainly provides us with lots of entertainment!

The Burnetts come to visit!

We were so excited to find out that Austin had a dental conference out in Las Vegas and that Elise was going to tag along with the boys.  They were here for almost a week but it still didn't feel like enough time.  We can't wait till they move closer to us!  

Sadly I didn't take enough pictures... probably because I was sleep deprived from staying up and talking to Elise!  While they were here James participated in the annual Raingutter Regatta.  

Caden had a lot of fun playing with all of the boys.

And we had to make sure that we got a picture of Henry and Caden with their matching blankets.

The last few days Austin joined us as well (he spent the first part of the week down on the strip attending his conference.) We had a big movie night (Captain America: Civil War) with treats and popcorn.  We really lucked out on Saturday when someone gave us free tickets to Cowabunga Bay.  So after Elise and Austin went to the temple and we finished our football game in the morning we ate lunch and headed out.  We weren't able to stay a long time since Elise and I had the Women's Session of General Conference to get to that evening but it was super fun!  The crowds were minimal since it was the last weekend of the season and the weather was slightly cooler.

We are so glad that we got a chance to visit with family.  Thanks for coming Elise and Austin!  Now the next year needs to fly by... we're expecting you for Thanksgiving next year ;)

New House

Now that we've been in our new house for about 5 months now I figured it was time I gave a little tour.  There are still changes to make and some boxes to unpack but we are feeling mostly settled.  So here is a little look at our new home.

You walk into our odd shaped living room.

And then onto the kitchen:

Just past the kitchen is the laundry/second pantry/entrance to the garage.  And then there is a full bathroom and guest room.

And we just love our backyard.

When you go upstairs you land in the loft which serves as a tv/playroom.

There are three rooms upstairs.

James, Alex, and Henry's room:

William and Lydia's room:

The master bedroom:

So there you have it!  But, of course, it's always better to see it in person... We love having visitors (and we've got a room for you too!)

Back to School Feast 2016: BE STRONG

I love our yearly back to school dinner and theme!  This year we are reminding the boys to "Be Strong."  I made t-shirts again this year (Lydia's has a ballerina though).  It is a fun way for the boys to remember the theme and it's our little secret code since it's just the picture.

The boys couldn't decide on a dinner this year so I decided to surprise them.  James had suggested turkey... but I couldn't justify buying a huge turkey.  Instead I made a whole roast chicken.  It was delicious!  We had sweet potatoes, green beans, and jello (William's request) as well.

And for dessert we had the most wonderful chocolate cake I've ever made.  Yum!

Before dinner Rich gave each member of the family a blessing.  This is my favorite tradition of all!  It is going to be a great year!